Russia calls Rishi Sunak's meeting with Zelensky 'disastrous' amid bomb warning

13 January 2024 , 14:07

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The UK recently pledged a further £2.5billion to support Ukraine in its war against Russia (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russia has lashed out at Rishi Sunak’s recent meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky as the UK pledges more support for Ukraine.

One of the most senior security figures in the Kremlin even raised the suggestion of using cluster munitions against the UK Prime Minister and his party during their trip to Kyiv. The brash threat was issued by former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, now Vladimir Putin’s deputy on the Kremlin’s security council.

It came as Sunak was in Kyiv for a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital. During the visit he announced a further £2.5billion of support for the country’s war effort against Russia’s bloody invasion. During the visit, the PM told Zelensky: "Putin might think that he can outlast us but he is wrong. We stand with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes. Waver now and we embolden not just Putin, but his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere. That's why the United Kingdom and the free world will continue to stand with Ukraine, as we have since the very beginning of this war."

In light of his remarks, Medvedev suggested that the PM and his party could be subjected to an attack similar to the one Ukraine launched against Russia a week ago. Posting on his Telegram, he said: "British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Kyiv to sign a ‘historic security agreement’.

"How would the Western public react to the fact that the British delegation came under fire from cluster munitions in the centre of Kyiv, as happened to the civilians of our [city] Belgorod? And one more thing: I hope that our eternal enemies, the arrogant British, understand that the deployment of their official military contingent in Ukraine will mean a declaration of war on our country."

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Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev is the latest Kremlin mouthpiece to issue empty threats to the west (EKATERINA SHTUKINA/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The 58-year-old also recently raised the spectre of using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine if missiles supplied by NATO countries continue to be used against targets inside Russia. He said: "The history of recent intensive and effective strikes on enemy military facilities in Ukraine, which were carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, confirms the successful and efficient work of our defence-industrial complex in 2023. In what was used, as we know, there were different carriers with different fillings, except for nuclear….yet."

The Russian Embassy echoed Medvedev's words and called the visit "disastrous" and "deplorable". The country who initiated the war by invading Ukraine also claimed that Britain was standing in the way of peace talks. The embassy added: "This time, Rishi Sunak promised to allocate even more funds for the purchase of lethal weapons, including long-range missiles and attack drones. These supplies will not change the overall balance of forces and the catastrophic outcome of the conflict for Ukraine. But they will contribute to the prolongation and intensification of hostilities, which means will lead to new victims. Against this background, the crocodile tears of the British leadership about the ruined future of Ukraine look hypocritical."

Medvedev said that continued attacks on Russia could also lead to nuclear strikes. The state, which has completely failed in its aims to subjugate Ukraine in a lightning strike, has resorted to a number of propaganda movements. This has included repeated threats and flirting with, and alluding to, the use of nuclear weapons when in reality they’ve been ground to a stalemate by Ukraine. Both sides are now said to be running out of ammunition.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with an official welcoming ceremony following his visit to Kyiv, Ukraine yesterday (Anadolu via Getty Images)

The frequent threats originating from the Kremlin and the people who fill it, are often in an attempt to disencourage the west from supplying Ukraine with weapons and resources.

Will Stewart